I was using Illuminas with my S-Techs for about 6 months. Ride started getting too rough for me so I wanted to switch the springs out for H-Techs.

When I changed the fronts, everything went fine. Now here is the crazy part...

I go to take off the rears. I get the strut off and compress the spring. Next I try to attempt to remove the top bolt off the hat and turn it a couple times.

BOOM, the notch at the top of the strut to change the dampening explodes and oil starts pouring out of the strut like crazy. Crap almost shot me in the eye.

So yeah, now I'm stuck with H-Techs and stock SE struts in the rears.

Anyone else had this problem before?

 

Check with the distributor you bought them from, they should be replaced under warranty....

 

But don't tell them that your drop was more than 1.5"... because apparently that is the warranty limit... so I've heard...

 

Yeah I know about the life time wntty. I just don't feel like dealing with it and going and changing them out again.

I just tossed it in the trash. Illuminas Suck

 

Wow, that's bizarre. Did you have the spring sufficiently compressed?

If it makes you feel better I was feeling lazy when swapping springs a few months back and removed the top hat nut without hardly compressing the spring. As I loosened the top hat nut it suddenly blew off the top and the top hat sailed across my garage and removed a small chunk of concrete from my wall! In the process it stripped the threads right off the shaft. Ouch. Lesson learned - compress springs until pressure is removed from the top hat or pay the consequences.

 

Wow that stinks makes me think twice about getting the illuminas now

 

dont let that stop you from getting a set. What happened to Igor is rare. Illuminas are one of the nicest struts you can buy

 

I would sue

 

Yeah the spring was compleatly compressed. I dunno what coulda went wrong.

 

Yeah...my buddy PearlTT blew an Illumina in a few days on H&R drop....great struts, but of course there will be horror stories- none are perfect in reality...there's always a few duds out there

 

Yeah don't let that one incident scar you. I am trying to remeber another problem I have heard of from the Illuminas and I can't recall one. They are solid struts.

 

Igor, sorry that has happened to you... As the other guys said, all parts have a chance of being defective... Speaking from quality perspective, most car part manufacturers operate at 3-4 Sigma quality level, i.e. 93-99%, so I am sure that you got unlucky with the 1-7% defect part of it...

 

My fronts still work great. Prolly a crappy one was shipped to me for the rear

 

damn that sucks igor. i have illuminas on my car right now with s-techs and i love them. they are good struts and i think you jsut got a defective one. what are you going to do now? why dont you just buy one cause i assume the other one is good right? or maybe just cash out for tein basic coilovers for $810 shipped.

 

hell no!

Coilovers are TRASH, after having JIC's I will never buy them again.

I don't justify my time going thru with changing it out again as being worth it

 

Why are coilovers trash? I am interested in buying a set and need some info.

 

Ride is STIFF as hell, no matter what setting they are on. Settings go from Stiff to STIFFER.

The time I had them on my car, I hated them. Sure, they look good, but I am more towards ride and quality.

I bought my car to drive and enjoy, and with JIC, I didn't feel like driving it anymore.

 

maybe it was just the jic coilovers?

 

coilovers=performance

Not for your comfort. did you buy them thinking you could just cruise on them?

 

Back then there were 100s of posts of ppl lying and saying HOW nice it was having a slammed car and retaining full suspension travel.

What a load of BS that was. Ride is and was crap. Those things are made for shows and or autocrossing.

 

The thing that your brain cannot process is that suspension travel is RELATIVE......YOU DO INDEED RETAIN FULL SUSPENSION TRAVEL, of the coilovers. Which is significantly less than that of the stockers.